Laugh Maker
by TwoFacedPierrot
Summary: "Have you guys ever seen Kuroko laugh?" Seirin's basketball team tries to accomplish an almost impossible task.
1. Chapter 1

The thumps of basketballs echoed around the gym as boys ran around, yelling at each other to get into defense or offense. Shoes squeaked against the polished wooden floors as players halted suddenly to catch a pass.

A whistle blew, stopping everyone in their tracks.

"Okay, guys!" Riko yelled to be heard over the noise. "That's all for today!"

The basketball team exhaled in relief. Training had been going on for practically hours and they were on the verge of dying. Still, no one dared to celebrate in front of the coach as it will only motivate her to torture them more the next time.

"..Guys, wait!"

Half the team paused in their tracks, turning around to face the guy who'd spoken.

"I've got something to say," Koganei had a sort of gleam in his eyes as he bounded towards them excitedly. "Call the rest of them over, but leave Kuroko out of this."

Hyuuga raised an eyebrow, but did as he asked without question. He had a feeling that Koganei was not going to tell them what's in his mind until they assembled.

"So," The cat-eyed boy looked around for the last time when everyone save Kuroko had gathered round. "Kuroko's not here, right?"

The gathered group all turned to Kagami, who was the best at noticing the almost-unnoticeable boy since they were light and shadow and all. Kagami swept his gaze around once, and shook his head.

"Coast's clear."

"Good," Koganei inhaled as he motioned them to gather closer. "I know its random, but it just came to me in the middle of practice," he paused and glanced at his teammates, studying their expressions. "Have you guys ever seen Kuroko _laugh_?"

"..Huh?" There was a short moment of silence at that random question. Then murmurs broke out.

"Now that you think of it.."

"We've only seen in smile, and that only when we win a game or something.."

"..I wonder how it look and sounds like..?"

"So you're suggesting that we try to make him do just that?" Teppei finally said as everyone calmed down.

"Aren't you curious?" Koganei grinned.

"Sounds interesting." A female voice piped up behind them, nearly scaring the boys out of their skin. "Count me in."

Riko had a determined smile on her face when they turned to face her.

"Okay then," Hyuuga knew better than to protest about the young coach's fail sense of humor. "The problem now is, how do we do it?"

"How about we make it a competition instead?" Riko said, ignoring the team captain's question. "Whoever successfully makes Kuroko laugh within a week wins."

"What's in it for us?" Kagami asked, sounding fairly bored.

"Does the memory of an almost-emotionless boy chuckling helplessly appeal to you?"

Kagami thought for a moment. Seeing Kuroko wear an expression other than his usual deadpanned one _would_ be interesting..

The redhead shrugged. "Sounds fine to me."

"Alright then," Riko smiled, and to the boys' horror, added cheerfully; "Whoever who fails to do so within the given time will run ten rounds around the school."

Ignoring the gaping faces of the basketball team, Riko blew her whistle and announced; "Game start!"

* * *

**Title based on the song 'Laugh Maker' by Bump of Chicken.**

**I've never written anything this short since my very first fic lol /shot**

**So. I had this idea from looking and fangirling over numerous fanarts or Kuroko smiling ever so cutely, and I just HAD to do a fanfic about it. **

**the only problem now is that I have no idea on what Tetsu-chi will most probably laugh at. Time to brainstorm during my exams /shot**

**Suggestions are highly welcomed ;;w;; PM me if you guys have any ideas to share. **

**I'm so sorry to say that this will also take some time to be updated since my national exams is just around the corner. Please be patient with me! I'M SO SORRY!**

**Kuroko isn't mine. Excuse my mistakes. Thanks for taking your time to read this! **


	2. Chapter 2

**I will be honest. I'm not sure how many people out there that's not my friend in real life will understand my sense of humor, so I'm really _really_ sorry if this was boring ;;_;; plus I was having a hard time thinking of ideas OTLll some parts are even rushed OTL **

**I do hope this is at least a _little_ amusing ;;w;; I'm sorry for disappointing you guys if its not though T^T**

**Also, I apologize for the late update. I'm actually in the middle of my exams right now lol /shot**

**I'll try harder with chapter 3 to make up for everything QAQ and hopefully I can get it done a little faster.**

**and before I forget, thank you so much for the follows, faves and reviews! ;;A;; though its making me feel kinda guilty..**

**Excuse my mistakes. KuroBasu is not mine. **

* * *

Kuroko stood alone in the locker room, wondering where had the rest of the basketball team run off to after being called by Hyuuga.

_Maybe it just doesn't concern me,_ he thought, not negatively. Or maybe they just thought he was there, unnoticed like he always was. Kuroko tried not to feel left out, but it wasn't easy. It _was_ a little harsh to just leave him there by himself. Standing there, Kuroko unconsciously felt something he hadn't felt in a long time.

He felt lonely.

The pale boy heaved a soft sigh. Who was he kidding. He was the 'Phantom Sixth Man', the invisible player. He was and had been almost invisible for most of his life. He should've gotten used to it already.

Kuroko pulled off his sweat drenched shirt and put on a fresh one, pushing the annoying thoughts out of his mind. He then slung his sports bag over one shoulder, and headed home.

**xXx**

Kuroko raised his eyebrows slightly as he sat on the gym bench, a towel around his neck. He faced the fellow first years of his team as he took a drink from his bottle to replace the moisture he'd lost while running around the gym during practice. He had no idea what was happening, but apparently they were trying to tell him a joke that they've suddenly thought up of in class.

Why were they trying it on him of all people, Kuroko did not want to know.

"Errr.. so here's how it goes.." Furihata mumbled as he pulled out a hastily folded piece of paper from his back pocket.

Kuroko's face did not even twitch as he listened silently.

"So.. what do you think?" Kawahara tried to sound upbeat when they'd finished, but Kuroko's keen observation skills helped him notice that his teammates were sweating up a storm, and it definitely wasn't from their practice session. A third of their 10-minute break was spent on that gag attempt. There was no way they would be sweating by just standing there, and the weather wasn't even that hot since it was only the beginning of spring. Besides, the trio looked strangely fidgety and nervous.

"..I'm sorry," Kuroko said in a straight manner with his usual blank face, quite unable to help himself. "But I could not really understand what the three of you were trying to tell me."

Kuroko hadn't meant to be mean, but he honestly failed to get what they were saying to him. His mind stopped processing the joke after the third time the word 'chicken' was mentioned.

Seeing their crestfallen expression as soon as they got his response, the slender boy reluctantly added; ".. Can you repeat it?"

There was a pause, and as if practiced, the three first-years simultaneously heaved a sigh.

"Nah, it's okay," Fukuda said, putting on a tortured smile. "I guess it was just too lame after all."

Before Kuroko could think of anything else to say, Riko blew her whistle, signaling the end of their short break. Kuroko sat just a while longer to watch his team gather before standing up to join them, a single question lingering in his confused mind.

What on earth just happened?

**xXx**

After seeing the first years' utter failure, Tsuchida wasn't exactly any keener to make Kuroko laugh.

Heck, he wouldn't have even participated in this stupid bet if he could, but knowing the coach, he would probably be forced to do double his training if he backed out now. Or worst. Riko would make him run another ten rounds besides the punishment she had in mind for the team if they fail. Naked.

Tsuchida shuddered at the thought. Embarrassing himself by saying a stupid joke in front of his junior was still a better choice than running around the school wearing nothing but his birthday suit. The only problem now was the awkwardness. He wasn't close to Kuroko in the first place, and pulling him aside suddenly to tell him a joke as what the other first-years had done during practice the day before would be weird.

Wait. The sophomore stopped rolling his mechanical pencil on his empty notebook. An idea popped into his head. He only had to make him laugh, right?

Before he could decide whether or not to go with what he had in mind, the bell rang, indicating recess. Tsuchida exhaled in exasperation before standing up. He didn't care anymore. He trudged out of his classroom, heading towards the first years'. He prayed that he could find a suitable situation to make his attempt as he walked.

The first year classrooms were just a floor below the second's, but it seemed like he had travelled miles before he could reach there. Tsuchida peeked cautiously from behind a wall, focusing his concentration so that he will not miss the boy he was looking for. Several passing juniors gave him strange looks as they walked pass him. He couldn't blame them. The dark haired teen figured he looked pretty much like a typical stalker.

He waited, all the while muttering "_Please, please, please come out_," under his breath. The shyer side of his personality was taking over. The curious stares and murmurs from passer bys were making him self-conscious. Tsuchida was on the verge of giving up when someone caught his eye.

With that outstanding blue hair, Kuroko was actually hard to miss once you see him, especially when he was walking among students with natural colored locks. Kagami was there too - a giant among normal heighted people.

Tsuchida took in a breath to steel his nerves, before emerging from behind the wall and walking towards them. He counted his steps, trying his best to estimate the distance to put between himself and his juniors. Kagami raised his eyebrows when he saw him, but otherwise said nothing.

The upperclassman was about 2 meters away from them when he decided that it was time. He looked up, trying to not force on a smile.

"Morning, Kagami, Kuroko-" And as if it was the most natural thing in the world, he deliberately tripped, bounced a couple of steps on one leg, and _spectacularly_ kissed the floor.

Several students in the area snickered. Some looked concerned. Kagami and Kuroko immediately bent down, helping their senior back on his legs. Kagami was having trouble keeping a straight face. The only change in Kuroko's expression was that his eyes were slightly wide with worry.

"Are you alright, senpai?" he asked as he pulled him up with the help of the taller boy. Tsuchida nodded, rubbing his aching forehead.

"Y-Yeah.. I guess."

"What are you doing around the first years' classrooms, anyway?" Kagami inquired though he knew full well of the true answer.

"Just doing some errands for the coach," Tsuchida lied. "Anyway, gotta go. See you guys later during practice!"

And with that he walked off, feeling miserable. Not only did he fail his objective, that fall hurt more than he expected it would.

Well, at least he tried.

**xXx**

Koganei was starting to wonder why he'd even suggested the idea in the first place.

Heck, he was curious. Besides, everything would've been fine if Riko hadn't got so into it that she'd practically threatened to rob them of their lives if they failed. And if by some cruel twist of fate that they actually did fail this, Koganei was sure Hyuuga was going to make him run triple the coach's punishment as a reward for opening his big mouth.

The cat-eyed boy sighed as he chucked his bag onto the floor, feeling Mitobe staring at him silently from behind.

"Eh? Oh, it'll be fine~" Koganei looked up and said, though the tall boy had never spoken a word. He bent down and dug into his bag, pulling out an old crumpled paper box the size of a small present. Mitobe only raised his eyebrows a little as Koganei turned and showed him its contents.

"Nothing better than classic old-school style, don'cha think?" the shorter grinned. "Now let's just wait here until he comes along."

…

Koganei was dreaming about cute managers when he felt someone frantically shaking his shoulders.

"Wh-Wha-" he slurped drool from the side of his mouth. _Gross_. "What-how-when-"

Mitobe answered by jabbing his finger towards the door, his calm composure replaced with something similar to panic. Koganei jolted upright the second he understood his message. Without wasting any more time, he reached into the box he'd put right next to him, fished out several items, and threw one at his taller friend.

Kuroko walked in a split second after the upperclassmen put on their gear. The pale boy abruptly paused at the entrance to the locker room as soon as he saw his seniors, mildly surprised. Koganei had an outrageously big pair of spiral glasses, a fake red nose, and a comical moustache - not unlike that of Mr. Potato's - on his face. Mitobe was wearing the same thing - minus the nose and glasses.

"Ack- Kuroko!?" Koganei pretended to have just noticed him. Mitobe gave the same type of reaction by widening his eyes.

Kuroko blinked at the two sophomores, his brain processing the images of the two seniors wearing such accessories as if it was the most normal thing in the world. He'd expected Koganei to do something like that as soon as he had the mood, but he never would have imagined Mitobe following suit, even if it's just a matter of putting on a big fat moustache.

A ghost of a smile tugged the corners of Kuroko's lips. Koganei saw it and was about to use it as a chance, but it vanished as soon as Kagami appeared behind the pale boy, cursing him for blocking the way into the locker room.

"Oi don't just stand there and.." the redhead trailed off as soon as he noticed what his seniors were wearing.

And then he cracked up.

Kuroko tried to ignore his teammate's futile attempts to not laugh hysterically as he asked, still not stepping into the room; "..What are you two doing?"

Koganei grinned at him through his spiral glasses. He had this sorted out. "You see, Mitobe and I had been invited by some kindergarten belonging to my mum's friend to entertain the kids abit, so I thought of my old collection of practical jokes that I'd left here, wondering if I could still use them or something." He paused for a breath. "And so, we found them and tried them on and now we're just doing some practicing for it."

Mitobe agreed to everything he said by just a nod of his head.

"What do you think, Kuroko?" Koganei took his chance. "Do you think the kids will like it? Especially if we do weird faces like this?" He made a face, or at least Kuroko thought he made one behind those enormous accessories.

"..I think," Kuroko paused for a second, wondering how he should put it before finally deciding to set foot inside. Kagami tailed behind him. "I think the children will like the moustaches and stuff, but I guess even if you make faces, they won't be able to see you considering the size of them." An idea came into his mind. "But you _could_ do some small magic tricks or something similar. That would definitely captivate them."

There was a strange twinkle in his eye when he said it. Koganei found himself unnecessarily taking down notes.

"Anyway, practice's gonna start soon, you know," Kagami mumbled helpfully as he changed out of his school uniform, stuffing everything lazily into his locker.

"Eh?" Koganei turned to the clock hanging high on the wall just above the door frame. Practice was starting in fifteen minutes.

He almost slapped himself in frustration. They were so, _so_ close, yet they couldn't do it. Mitobe looked at him sympathetically, taking off the ridiculous moustache to prepare for their daily training. If Kuroko noticed anything out of place with his seniors' behavior, he said nothing. Quietly, he placed his folded uniform into his bag, kept it in his locker, and slipped out.

Koganei heaved a defeated sigh as soon as the pale boy disappeared outside.

"This is impossible," he whined softly. He sighed once more before finally deciding to accept reality. "Meh.. anyway, time for practice~"

He did not sound the least excited about it.

**xXx**

Teppei decided to use the most straightforward way there is.

First of all, he hadn't the creativity to think of ways to even make Kuroko smile - he wasn't denying that. He could barely make normal people do the same thing. Second of all, the challenge was practically impossible. He'd seen and heard of his teammate's attempts. Most of them - if not all - failed miserably. And he was sure the pale boy was already suspecting something.

Jokes weren't his specialty either. He could barely get most of them himself.

So Teppei made up his mind to try the easiest and most practical way. The usual drill had already ended, but there were still familiar sounds of a basketball bouncing against the wooden floor of the gym even when everyone had left for the showers. He knew Kuroko would once in a while stay behind for some extra practice alone, and that day was one of those days.

At first glance, one would think that the gym is haunted as he would only see an orange ball bouncing around the court as if maneuvered by some kind of invisible force. But with a little concentration, he would be able to make out a moving figure. And if he tries a little harder, he would see a pale blue-haired boy practicing his life out.

Teppei stood by the entrance doors as he watched Kuroko practice his Phantom Shot, still awed by the technique despite the many times he'd seen it during games. Even by looking from another angle, the ball still seemed to disappear as soon as it leaves Kuroko's hands. Teppei could never stop wondering if the pale boy really had some kind of magic powers to make things - as well as himself - appear and disappear at will.

When Kuroko stopped to catch his breath, the he took the opportunity.

"You shouldn't push yourself too hard," Teppei said cheerily as he stepped in, breaking the silence that had formed. That seemed to startle the freshman a little.

"Please don't scare me like that, senpai," Kuroko breathed, his expression deadpanned as usual. Teppei grinned apologetically.

"Sorry," he said. "Taking a break?"

Kuroko nodded.

Teppei went straight to the point. "Can I ask you something?"

The shorter boy glanced up at him. "Yes?"

"Do you ever laugh?"

Kuroko blinked blankly at the sudden question. ".._Excuse me_?"

"It's just that you always seem so serious," Teppei said honestly. "I was thinking that maybe you should smile a little more sometimes."

Kuroko stared at him, eyebrows knitted slightly in confusion. "But what's the point of smiling if there's no reason to?"

Teppei was about to blurt out that he'd never thought of that, but he figured that would just ruin the mood.

"Well.. smiling _does_ make you happier.." he replied, almost sounding hesitant. "Not to mention it also relieves stress."

Kuroko stared at him some more.

"Aww c'mon~~" Teppei whined. "Just try it! It's _fun_~"

And to prove his point, he flashed him a blinding grin. Kuroko continued staring at his senior incredulously.

"Senpai," he finally said. "Are you sure you're okay today?"

Teppei's expression did not change as he regarded him. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Kuroko shifted his weight, developing an interest in the basketball he was holding. "Well.. you _did_ asked me a weird question out of nowhere before suddenly beaming like that."

"And what's wrong with being happy?" The upperclassman's expression changed to something that resembled a slight pout.

Kuroko wasn't sure why, but at that moment he felt the corners of his lips twitching into a small smile. Maybe it was Teppei's childishness. Or maybe it was just his fondness towards the senior who was like everyone's dependable big brother.

"I guess you're right," he decided. "There's nothing wrong with that."

Teppei's eyes widened at the sight of Kuroko's change in facial expression.

"See~" he spread his arms. "You can smile after all!"

Kuroko had nothing to sat to that, so he only nodded.

"Now try laughing!" Teppei urged.

To his dismay, Kuroko took a quick glance at the big clock on the wall of the gym and shook his head politely. "I should really go back to training. I'll be leaving in a while and I want to make the most out of my time."

Teppei wanted to argue, but decided otherwise. Kuroko's passion for the game was incredible, and he respected that. Not many people out there were willing to stay behind until late evenings just for some extra practice time alone. Let Kuroko do what he wants to do.

"Well, if you insist," he sighed inaudibly, stepping out of the pale boy's way as he resumed his training. "But like I said; don't push yourself, okay? And remember to lock up when you're done or Riko will skin you alive if she gets any reports on unlocked gyms tomorrow."

Kuroko made a shot. "Alright, senpai."

"Don't be too late," Teppei said as he made his way towards the exit. "And be careful on your way home!"

The last thing he heard before he closed the doors behind him was a soft "_I will and thank you_" from the first year inside.

Teppei thought of Riko's punishment as he strode towards the school gates, and he shrugged to himself.

_Maybe she'll let me have it a little easier because of his knee condition_, he thought wistfully.

**xXx**

Hyuuga decided to partner up with Izuki. Not that he was afraid of losing or anything.

He just figured that he had higher chances of succeeding with that 108 volumes of pun jokes.

Unless Izuki was really _that_ terrible at them.

Hyuuga made a face as he flipped through the 68th volume of his friend's pun collection. They were both trying to pick out the best ones, and Hyuuga's eyes were burning from the utter stupidity most of them. He would've appreciated it if Izuki had actually compiled a 'Best Of Shun's Pun Collection' or something like that.

_Ugh. That sounded pun-like._ The team captain blanched involuntarily, leafing through another page. Those books must be brainwashing him or something.

A yawn escaped his lips. It was about three in the morning, and his brain was shutting down. His page markers were running out. His will to stay awake to read those shitty jokes was fading at an alarming rate.

_Snap out of it_, Hyuuga told himself firmly. _There's not much time left._

Indeed five days have passed since Koganei proposed the idea, and no one had succeeded just yet, though a few came very close. Hyuuga was getting demoralized. Their school perimeter was huge, and running ten laps around it could be fatal. Pride be dammed - he was willing to make a fool out of himself to escape that tragic fate. Or at least he thought he was.

But who could blame him when he woke up the next morning with a pool of drool on Izuki's pun book?

…

Izuki was pissed off.

Puns were his pride, and he spent his whole life compiling 108 (and ongoing) volumes of it. And then Hyuuga just comes along to ask for his cooperation in saving their lives from Riko's hell-like punishment before casually announcing that his puns were shit.

If Izuki wasn't afraid of losing his legs, he wouldn't have even bothered to take part in this stupid game. And damn Hyuuga for insulting his hard work like that. It was fine with the few occasional ones he'd blurt out of nowhere, but all 108 volumes? That was going too far. He even had the nerve to leave a spot of drool on his 68th volume.

Izuki inhaled, trying to calm his raging nerves. _Anger isn't going to help anything_, he told himself. _Calm down. Think. Puns._

"Seven days without a pun makes one weak*," Hyuuga was saying, referring to his notebook before and trying his best not to flinch from the bad pun after reading out about ten of them. Kuroko was listening with confusion, obviously not quite getting why he was standing there listening to the team captain reciting jokes with a _very_ tortured face.

"To write with a broken pencil is pointless," Izuki offered. "The magician was so mad he pulled his hare out."

"..eh?" Kuroko confused look did not change.

That's it. Hyuuga was frustrated with all this. He was sure the pale boy was doing it on purpose. He'd had enough. He was sleep deprived _and_ stressed out. In one last desperate attempt (or not), he raised his hand as if waving, and yelled "BITCH SLAP!" before planting one not-so-hard-yet-not-so-gentle pat on Izuki's face.

Kuroko watched in even more bewilderment as the bespectacled senior stormed off right after that, fuming that he should've known it was a waste of time and that he was going to kill Koga or something. Izuki muttered some not so polite curses before excusing himself and running off - probably to return Hyuuga's 'favor'.

Kuroko blinked several times, still unable to comprehend the turn of events before finally continuing his way home, wondering why the heck was everyone in the Seirin basketball team acting so strange for the last week.

**xXx**

Kagami dreaded doing was he was going to do, but hell, it was his only chance.

And he really wanted to see Kuroko laugh, not that he would ever admit even if he was forced to give up his manhood.

Kagami scrolled through the list of contacts in his phone, coming to a stop before the one he was looking for. His thumb hovered above the green button for an eternity, before he finally worked up the courage to dial.

"..Moshi moshi?" a cheery voice answered after a few beeps.

Kagami took in a deep breath. "Kise?"

"Oh hi there Kagamicchi~!" the blonde's voice boomed over the phone. Kagami held it a little further from his ear.

"What's up? You don't call often," Kise continued in his rapid-fire speech. "Did something happen? Is Kurokocchi okay? He didn't faint or anything, did he?"

Kagami clenched his teeth, resisting the urge to end the call. "Kise."

Either he did it to be an annoyance, or Kise did not hear him. The blonde continued blabbering on the other side of the line.

"DAMMIT KISE SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME YOU RETARD!" Kagami snapped. He immediately got the silence he wanted.

"Look," Kagami huffed, raking his free hand through his messy red hair. "First of all, don't call me Kagamicchi or I'll kick your ass the next time we meet. Second of all, nothing's happened to Kuroko, but what I'm about to say has got something to do with him."

There was a short pause before Kise spoke up again. "I'm listening."

"I.." Kagami hesitated. "I have a favour to ask. Meet me before school starts tomorrow at the basketball court near Maji," This was it. He still couldn't believe he was going to ask.

"And bring the rest of the Generation of Miracles with you. There's something I would like to talk about."

* * *

***stolen from www. punoftheday . com (all three of them) I'm terrible at making puns that are understandable to people other than my close friends and family OTL**

**Again, I'm so sorry if this was a disappointment. Thank you so much for reading! **


	3. Chapter 3

Kise flipped his phone shut, making some quick calculations in his mind.

It was 4 in the evening when Kagami called him, and it would take him about an hour and a half on train to reach Tokyo. Akashi and Murasakibara would need at least 4 hours. Aomine and Midorima had it easy since they live in the same prefecture.

Kise heaved a sigh. Those two at Tokyo would surely be pissed off when they barge into their apartments in the middle of the night - not that Kise cared. He was willing to do _anything_ when his precious Kurokocchi was in question, and sacrificing his fabulous model face was _not_ an exception. He wasn't so sure about the others though.

The blonde flipped his phone open once more, pausing his thumb over one of the speed dials. Aomine would probably yell at him for disturbing his sleep. Midorima would probably reject the call as soon as he sees whatever name he saved Kise's number as flashing on the screen of his phone. Murasakibara would maybe just blink several times in mild surprise before answering. Akashi might bring his beloved scissors (face the fact, he brings that thing _everywhere_) the next time they gather and threaten to cut his hair for ruining his schedule or whatnot.

_For Kurokocchi,_ Kise tried to be optimistic. _It's all worth it_. Besides, what's skipping school a day or two to them? The only one who would actually mind would probably be Midorima. Kise was sure it wouldn't make a difference to the others.

He clicked the button and dialed.

**xXx**

Aomine was dreaming about catching cute animals with shrinkable basketballs when he felt his phone vibrating in his back pocket.

He tried to ignore it at first, but the stupid thing never stopped ringing. Finally sure that the person calling him was either on the verge of dying or something similar, Aomine decided to answer it. Groaning, he heaved himself up on his elbows and fished for the irritating device. He let himself yawn as he glanced at the name on the lit up screen.

"_What_?" he answered, not even bothered to hide his hostility.

"Aominecchi?" Kise's voice sounded overly hyper for some reason. "I'm coming over to your place tonight, alright?"

It took Aomine two full seconds to register what he just heard. "Wait. WHAT-"

"Anyway I'll explain everything when I get there later!" the blonde hurriedly said. "I gotta call the others before it's too late! Bye~"

"O-Oi Kise!"

The line fell dead. Aomine stared at his phone incredulously, wondering what was with that bizarre conversation. Why was Kise in such a hurry? And why the hell is he suddenly coming to Tokyo and now of all times?

And most of all, why _his_ house of all places to spend the night in?

Aomine wasn't exactly the brightest guy around, but knowing the blonde, he guessed whatever happened had got something to do with Kuroko some way or another.

Biting back an irritated curse, he stood up and stretched his stiff muscles. Damn Kise for not telling him everything properly. He was starting to feel curious. And curiosity did _not_ make his just-woke-up-from-sleep mood any better. Aomine felt like punching a wall, though he decided not to, since it was innocent and all. He figured punching Kise would be _way_ better.

And with that happy thought, the tanned boy strode towards the stairs, and made his way home.

**xXx**

When Midorima opened his door to find a scary looking heterochromatic redhead and a snack munching giant standing at the entrance way, he was _not_ amused.

Kise had casually sent him a message (after having his call rejected for about 20 times) to inform him about Akashi and Murasakibara coming over a few hours back, and Midorima did not remember agreeing to anything. He would've preferred his spending his nights peacefully studying alone and not entertaining his weird ex-teammates. But let's face it, the sight of Akashi smiling sweetly while swinging his scissors from finger to finger was enough to make anyone's resolve crumble and fade away.

Midorima swore he was going to hit Kise when he sees him the next morning.

**xXx**

Kagami thought he was late. He'd forgotten to set his alarm the night before and his self-waking instincts apparently decided to abandon him that day.

But by some weird twist of fate, he was the first one there.

Kagami guessed either Kise forgot all about his phone call, or not one of the Generation of Miracles were bothered to hear him out. He glanced at the miniature clock tower built at one corner of the court. There's still some time before school starts. Kagami was glad he brought his basketball with him. At least his morning wouldn't be wasted if none of them showed up.

Kagami was shooting his thirteenth basket when he - finally - heard people approaching. He stopped a drive midway, averting his gaze around. With their striking hair color, the Generation of Miracles were no harder to notice in the morning dimness.

"I'm so tired.." Kise yawned loudly.

"You're the one talking," Aomine hit him on the back, causing the blonde to pitch forward several steps. "I barely slept a wink thanks to you and your constant mantra about how much you love Tetsu." When Kise opened his mouth to argue, he added; "And yes, you talk in your freaking sleep."

"_Excuse me_," Midorima pushed his glasses up his nose with his carefully bandaged hand, huffing indignantly. "But I believe I am the real victim here since I have _two_ freeloaders in my house. And I was barely given any notice about it earlier."

"..Mido-chin doesn't have enough snacks in his home," Murasakibara merely mumbled as the others started bickering, nomming on a piece of giant Pocky.

"Really, Shintaro," Akashi's tone was cold and deadly. "I didn't know you hate us _that_ much that you aren't even willing to let us spend one night at your place."

The noise stopped at once. Midorima paled, a bead of sweat making its way down the side of his face. Kise and Aomine shifted their weight uncomfortably. Only Murasakibara seemed to be oblivious to the redhead's death threat.

Kagami cleared his throat - reluctantly. "Err.. guys?"

He couldn't very well say that he liked the attention he gained. Five pairs of colorful eyes trained on him, as if noticing him for the first time. Kagami unconsciously cringed under their gaze. Despite all his talk about surpassing each and every one of them, he was still slightly afraid of them. Rather, he was particularly at unease around a certain midget with the name of Akashi Seijuuro.

".._right_," Kise seemed to have just remembered something. "We came here because there's something about Kurokocchi that Kagamicchi wanted to talk about."

Kagami decided to not bother with Kise's habit. "Yeah, about that.."

"This better be worth my effort of waking up so early," Aomine mumbled, yawning like a cat. The rest of the group remained silent, waiting for Kagami to continue.

The redhead went straight to the point. "Please tell me how to make Kuroko laugh."

Kise and Aomine stared at him wide-eyed. Midorima stopped fiddling with his bandages, his eyebrows disappearing under his neatly trimmed fringe. Murasakibara stopped chewing. Akashi looked calm as ever, though his eyes showed an amused twinkle.

"And why do you want to know that, if I might ask?" Akashi broke the silence that was starting to form.

Kagami reluctantly explained his situation. He was careful to make it sound as if he dreaded the idea of running that ten rounds and not because he personally wanted to see and hear Kuroko's laugh. He paused for a breath once he finished, waiting for their reactions.

"Tetsu laughing?" Aomine scoffed at last. "Meh. Impossible."

"Kurokocchi can do _that_?" Kise breathed. "How come I never knew?"

Kagami's patience with those two idiots was wearing out. "I'm not asking if you ever knew. I'm just asking if you guys have any ideas to make him laugh or something like that."

"And why should we help you?" Midorima asked, once again pushing his glasses back into place.

"Well..you're all here, aren't you?" Kagami wasn't even sure if that was an answer, but that seemed to be able to shut the bespectacled shooter up.

"What do we get in return?" Murasakibara was asking saying something decent for once.

"Does the sight of Kuroko being happy interest you?"

Kagami was never really the religious kind, but he prayed for that to work. He knew every member of the Generation of Miracles had a soft spot for Kuroko, no matter what they do to deny it.

They seemed to exchange a silent conversation among themselves for several minutes. Kagami waited, counting the seconds passed. _Fifty-one. Fifty-two. Fifty-three_..

"Beat me 1-on-1 and we'll-"

"I see no harm to it," Akashi spoke up, cutting Aomine off midsentence. Kagami let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Then-"

"But if this just ends up being a waste of time," Akashi smiled sadistically, snapping his scissors. "We'll know just who to torture - not that I expect what I have in mind to fail."

Kagami stared at the shorter redhead and gulped.

What had he got himself into?

**xXx**

The training session for Seirin's basketball team was especially entertaining that evening.

Riko was in the middle of drilling her boys with footwork exercises when she heard the doors open. Curious for they had full attendance that day with no late comers, the young coach turned, wondering who it might be. She couldn't make out the details at first courtesy of the blinding sunlight that streamed in, but she could see a single figure.

"_KUROKOCCHIIIIII~!" _

A human missile launched himself at Kuroko, ignoring all the weird stares he was getting from the rest of the team. Kuroko, as usual, barely gave any visible reaction.

"..Please get off me, Kise-kun," he said calmly, as if he got tackled into a hug on a daily basis. Then again, he probably did back in the days.

"Ehhh," Kise whined childishly. "But I came all the way here to see you.."

"You're disturbing other people."

The blonde pouted, but otherwise obediently did what he was told and pulled back. Kuroko blinked at the full view of his blond friend, and for once, could barely believe what he saw. Kise was wearing a normal t-shirt on top, but when he shifted his gaze downwards..

"ACK!" Riko exclaimed, covering her eyes as though the sight burned them. "WHY THE HECK ARE YOU WEARING A SKIRT?"

Kise wearing a miniskirt certainly was _not_ the prettiest sight in the world. Sure, he was a model and had near perfect body parts and all, but he was also an athlete. And athletes meant muscles. And muscles meant temporary blindness to those who witness them combined with feminine clothing. And with teddy bear boxers present and visible, to make things worse.

"Kise-kun," Kuroko had a slight twitch in his expression. "Do me a favor."

Kise perked up. "Sure~"

"Please pretend you don't know me and leave."

"That's mean!"

"I do not know any exhibitionist that has a fetish in wearing female clothing."

"Okay, okay I'll change!" Kise said, eyes brimming with tears. "I'll be right back!"

He was about to reach for the door handles when someone pushed - or kicked - them open from the other side, slamming Kise's face head on.

"Oops," Aomine peeked in. "Sorry 'bout that, Kise."

Kise was on the floor, unmoving. Aomine stepped right past him, and to the surprise of everyone, so did the rest of the Generation of Miracles.

Seirin's basketball team had never been so uniformed in their lives. Roughly a dozen jaws dropped at the same time at the sight of them standing casually in their gym. Too stunned to speak, Riko turned her gaze at Kuroko, expecting him to provide an answer. But Kuroko looked just as bewildered as the rest of them. Kagami tried to keep his face as neutral as possible.

"Please don't mind us," Akashi spoke up, his tone making some of them cringe. "We'll just be borrowing Tetsuya for a while. Please carry on with your training."

Riko was about to argue, but something about Akashi's heterochromatic eyes made her decide otherwise. The bastard did not expect to be defied, and those who dare do so shall suffer painful consequences. Riko heaved an inaudible sigh.

"Go on, Kuroko-kun," she said loud enough for the boy in question to hear. "But don't take too long."

Kuroko seemed hesitant about it, but he did as told. He stepped towards his group of old friends, wondering what made them want to see him. Midorima and Akashi must be really pissed off, since it was a school day and all.

"..Yes?" Kuroko stood about a meter apart from them, feeling slightly disturbed by the strange glint in their eyes.

Akashi snapped his fingers. "Atsushi, Shintaro."

Kuroko felt two pairs of strong arms winding around his own, holding him in place. He blinked uncomprehendingly. "Um.."

Akashi crossed his arms and leaned backwards, smiling as if he was going to enjoy what he would see. "Daiki."

Aomine came forward, cracking his knuckles. "I'm sorry, Tetsu. But I have to do this."

Kuroko might be physically weak in many ways, but when it comes to struggling free when he was tickled, it was as if he'd taken steroids of things of that sort. Aomine's nimble fingers tickled his sides mercilessly. Both Murasakibara and Midorima had a firm grip on him, but with Kuroko struggling so wildly, they were ready to let him go anytime for they were worried he might sprain himself or something.

A minute passed. Kuroko was still not laughing - much to Akashi's (_and_ Seirin's basketball team's) irritation. Riko was too busy watching them to even yell at her boys to continue with their training. Despite Aomine's attempts to find Kuroko's most ticklish spots, Kuroko did not let even a single giggle escape his lips. Everyone was sure he was holding back. For what reason though, they do not know.

"Whoop," Murasakibara loosened his grip very suddenly, letting Kuroko slip his arm out and almost hitting him on the chest. He lost his bag of chips as a price. Midorima dodged another wild fling of the pale boy's arm, only to be elbowed on the face by Murasakibara, who was bending down to retrieve his precious snacks.

Midorima's glasses flew off his face in the process. For a very short moment, he panicked. He was known to be practically blind without his specs, and nothing would describe his situation better than the emoticon "3 A 3". His figured asking for help wasn't of much use either, considering the situation.

Sure enough, he wasn't taken any notice of.

"..Aomine-kun," Kuroko said as he regained his composure, a little breathless from struggling. His cheeks were slightly flushed. Aomine flinched at his steely tone, sweatdropping. Angry Kuroko was as scary as Akashi in some ways. Maybe even scarier.

It was an instinctive act. Aomine ducked behind Akashi, his fear for Kuroko's fury overwhelming his fear for his ex team captain. The shorter boy only raised an eyebrow.

Things were more or less chaos after that - with Kuroko chasing Aomine around to give him an Ignite Pass Kai in the face and Aomine running for dear life and casually trampling on Kise who was still on the floor. Midorima searched blindly (and desperately) for his glasses. Murasakibara resumed his constant munching of snacks, offering some to Akashi. Akashi nibbled on a potato chip as he watched the two boys running around the gym as though they owned it. Aomine was screaming for all he was worth, completely ignoring the helpless grins and snorts of barely contained laughter from their spectators. It was a shame no one caught it on camera. It could've been Twitter's next top trending topic.

It was difficult with Kuroko chasing Aomine at a speed no one knew he could achieve combined with his misdirection skills, but for a brief moment, Akashi's sharp eyes saw it. He _knew_ he was never wrong. His record was yet to be broken.

"That's enough, Daiki," he spoke, his voice ringing loud and clear across the gym. Aomine automatically stopped, only to find the palm of Kuroko's right hand connected to his face. For one second, he couldn't feel the ground under his feet.

And then he hit the floor. Hard. Right next to Kise.

"That's enough," Akashi repeated as he picked up Midorima's glasses to return it to the poor guy. Murasakibara knelt down, promptly taking joy in poking the two on the floor until they woke. "We're done here."

As if coming back from the dead, Kise looked up from his face-flat-on-ground position. "You mean..?"

Akashi had a triumphant sparkle (yes, _sparkle_) in his eyes. "Yes."

"I never want to face Tetsu's passes again," Aomine mumbled onto the wooden flooring. "But I guess it was worth it."

"I saw it," Murasakibara nommed on a piece of candy stick next. "Though only barely."

"Aww mannn," Kise sounded like he was about to face-floor all over again. "I just _had_ to pass out and miss it."

"Shut up, Kise. You weren't the only one," Midorima sounded calm (and pouty) for someone who was on the verge freaking out a minute ago.

"At any rate," Akashi said before Kise could start bawling and flood the gym. He glanced at Kagami through the corner of his eye. "Our work here is done. Let's not interfere with Tetsuya's training any more than we already did."

With lots of groans and cusses, they managed to coax Kise and Aomine back on their legs to leave. They were starting to feel comfortable lying on the floor like that. Seirin's basketball team watched speechlessly as the strange group made their strategic retreat, as if they barged into gyms of unknown schools every day. Riko turned to Kuroko as soon as the doors snapped shut.

"How come we've never seen you run that fast before?"

**xXx**

Kagami was starting to feel lucky. Until he heard the dog barking.

First off, he had not been skinned alive and given a new haircut the day before, which was pretty much a miracle. Heck, he'd only asked them to suggest some ways to make Kuroko laugh. He never thought they would decide to personally give it a try. And he'd never actually expected them to succeed either, even if no one had seen or heard the results of their display of embarrassment.

Akashi was scary. That was all he could say.

And there was the main problem. Kuroko had laughed. And no one saw him other than the Generation of Miracles. Kagami felt like banging his head against a wall. He threw away his bloody pride for nothing.

Kagami sighed, and flinched. Was that a bark he heard?

It had been months since the husky was adopted and made their team mascot, but Kagami still failed to overcome his fear towards animals of its kind. He reached towards the door handles with shaky fingers, and tentatively pushed them open, bracing himself for a sudden furry ambush.

To his relief, #2 was sitting obediently at a corner, making occasional enthusiastic barks whenever someone scored a point and all that. Kagami was careful to not cross its path as he went to do his warm ups.

Riko happily pushed them to their limits that day. Maybe it was because it's the final day of their game and since no one in the team had succeeded just yet, she was bringing forward their punishment or something. By the 30-minute mark, the whole basketball team was drenched in sweat.

Kagami had never appreciated breaks so much in his life.

He collapsed onto the polished wooden floor right next to the benches, breathing hard as he took a swig from his water bottle. Hearing a set of footsteps approaching, he looked up.

Kuroko sat on one of the benches, his towel hanging over his head. Sweat beaded his face. He'd almost passed out twice from Riko's sudden extreme drill, but it was an improvement. Months ago, he would've already been sent to the infirmary.

"Hey," Kagami greeted, taking another gulp of water.

Kuroko glanced at him sideways. "Hello."

"I wonder what's gotten into the coach today," Kagami said with a loud exhale, not caring whether or not he was heard. Riko was gonna kill them anyway.

Kuroko shrugged in response. "_PMS_?"

"Maybe," Kagami smiled crookedly. He never thought Kuroko of all people would make such jokes.

"_Arf_!"

Kagami tensed visibly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black and white furball running towards them.

He hadn't even the time to react when #2 playfully jumped on him. Kagami yelled once in uncharacteristic panic before falling on his back. The puppy licked his face as if it was a very delicious steak cuisine.

At first, Kagami was too busy trying not to scream and making a big commotion to notice. But pass #2's furry coat, he could see Kuroko's shoulder shaking. _Was this it_? Quite forgetting his fear for dogs at the moment, Kagami lay very still, straining to hear.

There was a moment of awkward silence. And then he heard it; soft and restrained. It gradually grew louder.

Kuroko's laugh was more like a string of chuckles; helpless and amused. And very contagious. Kagami's mouth hung agape as his first reaction. He had no idea what made him laugh. And then he himself started to smile. And before he knew it, he was laughing along. Unlike the Kuroko's polite giggles, _his_ was an uproar - which, attracted the attention of everyone in the gym.

They couldn't decide which was more surprising; Kuroko laughing or Kagami being so calm with #2 on top of him.

Koganei let out a loud whoop. Teppei clapped loudly. All this while they'd been trying so hard to see Kuroko's laugh, and there he was now, chuckling helplessly. With his lips turned upwards and eyebrows arched, Kuroko seemed like a different person altogether.

They did it. They completed the challenge right on the day of the deadline. Their miserable lives were saved!

Even #2 seemed to understand the situation. Seeing its master's happy face, it leaped off Kagami and jumped on Kuroko's lap instead. It stood on its hind legs, and licked the tip of Kuroko's nose. Kuroko ruffled its head fondly.

"Finally!" Kagami huffed when the excitement had passed. Kuroko stared at him, his expression back to normal.

"..Eh?"

Kagami glanced at his teammates, silently asking if he should tell Kuroko exactly what was going on.

"I suppose it's only fair that he knows," Riko muttered with a sigh. "You see, Kuroko, for the pass week, we've been trying to make you laugh."

"I suggested the idea," Koganei chirped in, feeling responsible for once. "And I accidentally got everyone in deep shit."

"What deep shit?" Riko demanded. "It was for your sakes too, you know!"

"Anyway," Hyuuga cut in before Riko could launch herself into one of her hour-long sermons. "Coach made it a bet. We had to make you laugh within a week or we'll have to run ten rounds around the school perimeter."

"Which explains why some of us took desperate measures," Izuki summed it up, glaring at Hyuuga. "And that was also the reason why we had been acting strangely."

"Come to think of it," Teppei wondered aloud. "How did the Generation of Miracles know about this anyway?"

Kagami hesitated a little before he tentatively raised his hand slightly. "That? That was me."

He earned himself some stares.

"What?" he said, feeling blush tinting his cheeks. "I was just as desperate as you guys!"

No one had any comments to make.

"..I knew."

They turned their attention back to the pale boy who spoke.

"I knew you were all trying to make me laugh," Kuroko's smile reminded them a little of Akashi. "That's why I held back."

There was a moment of silence, and then realization sank in.

"_KUROKOOOOOOOO!"_

**xXx**

Despite their success in completing the challenge, Riko still made them carry out her punishment.

"Technically, it was #2 who did it," was her excuse. "And he wasn't part of the deal."

All that hard work and happiness for nothing. Koganei learnt to never open his mouth again when Riko was around. He was forced to triple his number of rounds, as what he'd expected Hyuuga would make him do.

Kuroko trailed behind as usual, doing his best to keep up. He unconsciously reviewed the memory of the past week in his mind. It had been fun seeing them try so hard. It made him.. happy. Wanted. He felt stupid thinking that they left him out at the first place.

A smile graced his features as he ran, unseen by his teammates running in front. His laughter wasn't _entirely_ caused by #2 after all.

* * *

**Who expected the ending? lol /shot**

**I sincerely hope that that wasn't too bad ;w; **

**Thank you to those of you who suggested your ideas! You guys saved my life. Seriously. And thank you to _kolachess_, for (indirectly) giving me inspiration with her fic: "Cheese for the Paparazzi!" She's just awesome ;;w;; **

**Thanks so much for the responses everyone! I'm sorry if it turned out to be another disappointment OTL I'll try harder to improve ;A;**

**Excuse my mistakes. Kuroko no Basuke is not mine. Thank you so much for reading!**


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